CHAPTER 013
"It’s just a casual gathering to catch up, so there’s no need to feel too pressured."
Philip’s polite demeanor was exactly like the main character in the original story. Thanks to him, the tension in my heart eased a little.
But why hasn't Lewis arrived yet?
As the appointed time approached, Lewis still hadn’t shown up.
Philip seemed to think he was late too, as he glanced at the wall clock and said,
"The Marquis of Bloomberg is running a bit late."
"Indeed..."
Could he really be late?
I was worried, but fortunately, Lewis arrived just on time.
"You're here."
"Am I the last one to arrive? You all got here quite early."
Lewis exchanged greetings with Philip, making a comment that could either be a compliment or sarcasm.
Then he turned to me.
"Marquis, you're here?"
I greeted him warmly.
Was it because I saw a familiar face in an unfamiliar place? I was genuinely happy to see Lewis after such a long time.
To think I could be happy to see Lewis!
However, Lewis didn’t seem too pleased to see me.
He nodded curtly and quickly looked away.
Something felt off...
While I was wondering about it, Philip spoke to Lewis.
"You haven’t been to the palace in a while, and it’s been hard to see you. Even the young lord of Croft said he hasn’t seen you."
"I’ve been very busy."
Lewis answered perfunctorily, with a clear expression of 'this is annoying.'
Did something bad happen before coming here?
No matter how busy he was, how could he act like this in front of the future emperor?
Philip seemed a bit taken aback by Lewis’s uninterested tone. He even looked at me as if to ask if I knew the reason.
Haha, how would I know what Lewis is thinking... He’s such an unpredictable person.
Even reading the original work didn't help me understand Lewis’s mind.
I just gave an awkward, silent laugh.
As I knew from the original story, Philip was indeed a kind and gentle person.
And he seemed cooler than I thought. He wasn’t bothered by Lewis’s attitude.
Was he avoiding asking directly if something was wrong to prevent the atmosphere from getting more awkward?
With Lewis’s personality, it wouldn’t be surprising if he outright said, 'Not feeling great.'
Instead of minding Lewis, Philip calmly spoke to me.
"This is the first time we’re having a meal together, Miss Elsner."
Yes. I still don’t know why you invited me.
"I had a drink with the Marquis of Bloomberg last time..."
Philip abruptly stopped speaking.
Following his gaze, I saw Lewis glaring at him fiercely.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
His voice alone made it clear he was very angry.
Lewis looked like he would cause a big problem if provoked.
Scary.
Philip had already admitted that what happened last time was his fault. Realizing he had hit a nerve, he changed the subject.
"It’s nothing. Since we’re all here, let’s start the meal."
At Philip’s signal, the dining room door opened and a trolley laden with various dishes rolled in.
Soon, the table was overflowing with food, more than enough for the three of us.
This wasn’t an ordinary lunch.
Philip, seeing my wide eyes, spoke kindly.
"Please, eat as much as you like."
"Ah, yes. Thank you!"
But despite my cheerful reply, I couldn’t focus on the meal.
"I often have meals with other nobles. Though not on this scale."
"Ah..."
"Not knowing your taste, we prepared a variety of dishes."
"Haha, thank you—"
I stopped mid-sentence.
Lewis was watching our conversation with an annoyed expression.
What’s bothering him now?
Philip, noticing Lewis’s expression following my gaze, asked him,
"Is there something wrong with the meal?"
"No. There’s no problem."
Lewis replied with a cold smile, his eyes still icy.
"It’s so good that even if someone disappeared, no one would notice."
How uncomfortable.
Despite the feast in front of me, I lost my appetite. Such was the power of Lewis.
Should I consider this an unintended diet? I just wanted to leave this place quickly.
* * *
Lewis was in a terrible mood.
All because of that day when he lost consciousness at the banquet.
Nothing like that had ever happened before.
Moreover, it wouldn’t have been as bad if he just lost consciousness. The problem was that he remembered everything.
Lewis remembered everything that happened that day.
'I remember. Selina, Elsner.'
Why did I do that?
Feeling humiliated, he couldn’t bear to face her.
Even though he didn’t show his embarrassment in front of her, he had been avoiding Selina consciously since that day.
'Damn.'
Not meeting Selina brought back the noise that had bothered him before he met her.
Now that he knew there was a way to stop the noise, his patience was even thinner than before.
'What’s wrong with the Tower Lord again? Why is he so grumpy?'
'Shh! You don’t know how sensitive his hearing is?'
'Is he talking loudly on purpose so I can hear?'
'Eek!'
As a result, Lewis’s irritability grew day by day.
Naturally, his feelings towards Philip weren’t good either. It was because of the drink Philip offered that everything happened.
What an annoying guy.
He was the cause of all this, yet he kept his polite face until the end, which made Lewis even more irritated.
And now, he was talking to Selina, excluding him?
Lewis, feeling annoyed, watched their conversation silently and realized something.
Selina was looking uncomfortable, glancing between Philip and him.
When their eyes met, she noticeably flinched and quickly looked away.
Without being asked, she avoided eye contact like the mages of the tower.
Come to think of it, Selina had also stopped eating.
Watching this, Lewis called out to her.
"Hey, friend."
"Y-yes?"
Selina looked up abruptly, laughing awkwardly.
"Is there something you want to say...?"
"Is this situation uncomfortable for you?"
Selina, caught off guard, exclaimed.
"No!"
"So, it is uncomfortable."
Lewis wasn’t that oblivious.
He didn’t want to ruin her meal time any further.
He had seen her smile happily at the dishes being served. It seemed his display of emotions had caused the problem.
Suppressing his irritation, Lewis decided to quietly resume his meal.
So Selina could eat properly.
He pushed the plate of lamb chops, which she had been enjoying earlier, towards her.
"These are available at your estate too, but it looks like you’re eating them for the first time?"
"Excuse me?"
"Eat a lot."
After watching Selina place the lamb chop on her plate, Lewis resumed eating.
'I can be considerate like this too.'
He laughed inwardly.
* * *
The long meal finally ended.
"Let’s have a meal together again next time. It seems you couldn’t eat enough."
"Isn’t once enough? What about you? You seemed to eat a lot."
"I ate a lot?"
How did he know? Was he watching me eat?
Lewis kept offering me food as if he was feeding me, so I ended up eating more than usual.
Haha, so much for the diet...
After the meal, I felt like a shrimp caught between two fighting whales again.
But at least it was over. We had left the crown prince’s palace!
Though it bothered me a bit that Lewis was with me.
There was a few steps distance between me and Lewis.
I hadn’t seen him for a while, and his behavior today was strange, so naturally, the distance remained.
Then, Lewis suddenly approached me.
"Hey, friend."
"Goodness! Yes?"
Startled, I looked at him, and he frowned.
"Why are you so surprised? Did I do something?"
"No, it’s not that..."
Lewis hadn’t done anything. At most, he made the dining atmosphere tense.
Philip wasn’t the type to be intimidated by such things, but I had shrunk back...
Since Lewis had come closer, I asked him what I had been curious about.
"Why didn’t you come until now?"
"…Busy."
I looked around quickly to ensure no one was nearby and asked again.
"Was it okay?"
And tapped my head with my finger.
Lewis understood immediately and sighed softly.
"It wasn’t okay. But since I came here, it’s reduced, so it’s fine."
I guess being near me helped.
I told him to stop by even if he was busy and held out my hand for a handshake.
"Just by pretending to shake hands like this, it stops, right?"
Lewis chuckled at that.
"That’s true."
I felt the warmth from his hand. Holding it, I whispered,
"But what kept you so busy...? You used to come all the time."
"Do you really want to know?"
Lewis tilted his head.
"If you’re curious, visit the tower."
"Excuse me?"
"We’re conducting some fun experiments. If you want to see it, come over."
Lewis grinned mischievously.
There’s no need to show me those experiments...
I quickly backed away from Lewis.
* * *
It’s been a month since I started staying at the Croft mansion at the family’s invitation.
These days, I’ve been diligently looking for a house.
I can’t stay here forever, can I?
"Where are you going?"
As I prepared to go out alone, Bella asked.
"Oh, I’m going to see a house, remember?"
"Really, you don’t need to find one."
Bella frowned at my words.
"You can just live here. There are plenty of rooms."
"But still..."
I had received compensation from my parents, so I couldn’t keep imposing on them.
"I appreciate the thought."
I smiled at Bella and left the mansion alone.
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